After the fire of "Shaolin Temple" directed by Zhang Xinyan in the 1980s, a Shaolin martial arts fever broke out in the mainland.
Many Shaolin movies came into being.
In 1985, Goodman Pictures co-produced with Fujian Film Studio, and Xu Xiaoming's "Kapok Robes" is a rare masterpiece of these films.
The story of "Kapok Robes" is based on the Tang Dynasty monk "Liuzu Huineng", the background of which was changed by Xu Xiaoming to the Ming Dynasty, and the elements of JinyiWei were added.
Historically, Huineng practiced at dongshan dongshan dongshan dongshan zen temple in Huangmei County, Huanggang City, Hubei Province, because he wrote on the pink wall: "Bodhi has no tree, and the mirror is not a platform, there is nothing originally, where is the dust?" "The saying of the five ancestors, get the mantle of the Five Patriarchs Hiroshi Ninja Night Pass.
Later, Huineng crossed the Yangtze River overnight and returned to Lingnan, and wrote the "Tantra Sutra" at the Fa sex temple in Guangzhou, spreading the zen religious teachings, known as the Southern Sect, echoing the Northern Sect established by Shenxiu, the eldest disciple of Hongnin.
"Kapok Robes" is a relic of Shaolin Dharma and a symbol of Shaolin hosting, and the film also revolves around this robe, telling the story of a battle between Jinyi Wei Qi Tianyuan and Huineng.
Released in 1985, Kapok Robes not only caused a sensation in the mainland, but also grossed HK$15.16 million in Hong Kong.
Fast forward 36 years, how are the actors and creators in the film doing?
1. Xu Xiaoming (Director)
Director Xu Xiaoming is one of the few all-rounders in the Hong Kong film industry, he learned martial arts at the age of 9, entered the film circle as a child star, engaged in behind-the-scenes work such as screenwriter, director, martial arts, and stunts.
In the 1980s, he directed many classic TV series, such as "Grace of the Earth", "The Great Hero Huo Yuanjia", "Chen Zhen", "Huo Dongge" and "Journey to the Tiger Mountain Again".
Director Xu Xiaoming is very patriotic, saying that he "always wants everyone to know what patriotism and good and evil are."
When attending events, he often sang "The Great Wall Never Falls" to express his patriotism.
In 2008, he also gathered his old partners Xu Xiangdong and Yu Rongguang to shoot the patriotic action movie "Winning the Bid" in anticipation of the Olympic Games.
The film "Winning the Bid" is full of sincerity, but the story is not polished, and zhang Weijian was found to star, and when it was released that year, it failed to achieve a lot of results.
In recent years, Xu Xiaoming has retreated behind the scenes, and in recent years, he has focused his work on TV dramas, and his new drama "Daming Guozijian" is still in production and is expected to be launched this year.
2. Xu Xiangdong (played by Huineng)
Xu Xiangdong came from the Hebei Wushu Team, and walked alone in martial arts with eagle claws and fists, and his swords, guns and sticks were also omnipotent, and he was on a par with Jet Li, Zhao Changjun, Wang Jianjun and others at that time.
Despite this, he is still a little behind Jet Li in terms of acting skills, and his limelight in the film is obviously overshadowed by Yu Rongguang.
At the time of filming "Kapok Robes", Xu Xiangdong was taking the exam to enter the Beijing Institute of Physical Education, and he was obsessed with learning and was not very dedicated to making movies.
Later, because of his studies, he gave up the opportunity to star in "Mirage", and after graduating from university, he studied abroad and became a doctoral student at the University of Paris No. 7 in France, fluent in English and French, and was the most educated martial arts athlete.
In the 1990s, Xu Xiangdong returned to the film and television circle, but he had already lost his former development opportunities and could only play supporting roles in some movies and TV series.
He played Li Lijun in "She's from Taipei"; a teased boxer in Wing Chun; and Xiang Zhuang who danced swords in "Western Chu Bawang".
Perhaps Xu Xiangdong will regret his original choice, at that time, many people gave up their careers in the ascending period because of their studies, and it is difficult to judge right and wrong.
In recent years, Xu Xiangdong's development in the television circle is quite good, in 2011's "Water Margin", he played Shi Wengong made a deep impression on the audience, and this year's "Great Song Palace Words" also had his participation.
3. Yu Rongguang (played by Qi Tianyuan)
It is said that "opportunities are always left to those who are prepared", and this statement is very appropriate to Yu Rongguang.
Although he was born into a family of opera, he suffered more than others since he was a child. Because he is tall and tall, for Peking Opera martial arts students, it is much more difficult than others to turn over and fight, and it is difficult to achieve coordination.
But Yu Rongguang is very strong, and his father Yu Mingkui is also very strict with him, he has worked hard for ten years, and he has practiced a strong basic skill.
However, it is precisely because Yu Rongguang is taller than Xu Xiangdong that he was selected by the director to play the villain of "Kapok Robes".
During the filming of the film, Xu Xiangdong and Yu Rongguang also became very good friends. Usually, Xu Xiangdong would teach Yu Rongguang to practice martial arts, and Yu Rongguang would teach Xu Xiangdong to act.
Later, Xu Xiaoming filmed "Mirage", and Yu Rongguang replaced Xu Xiangdong as the protagonist of the film.
After entering the 90s, Yu Rongguang developed in the Hong Kong film industry, and was promoted by Zhang Xinyan to star in "Dongying Ranger", and in the past ten years, he has participated in up to 50 Hong Kong films, becoming a well-known action star for us.
After 2000, with the decline of Hong Kong films, Yu Rongguang turned to the mainland television circle, starring in blockbuster dramas such as "Wolf Poison Flower" and "Three Kingdoms".
Acting and excellent director, in addition to actors, Yu Rongguang also became a TV series director, directing "The Legend of the Hero of the Southern Overseas Chinese Mechanics", "Mufu Fengyun", "Yijiang Chunshui" several word-of-mouth TV series.
Today, he is still active in the mainland film and television circle, and is a hot A-list male star and a well-known director.
4. Ding Jinyou (played by Xuan Jie Zhenren)
Ding Jinyou is a veteran of the Shanghai Wushu Team, and in 1998 he became the coach of the Chinese Wushu Team, specializing in Taijiquan, Shaolin Waijia and Neijiaquan.
Ding Lao likes to participate in movies, in this film a set of Chen-style taijiquan play in the clouds, and in addition to this film, he also participated in the "Transmission of the Secret Edict of the State".
In his later years, Ding Lao, who became president of the Shanghai Chinese Wushu Association and president of the Shanghai Sanlin Martial Arts Academy, died of illness on December 6, 2013, at the age of 76.
His son Ding Wenjun inherited his father's legacy and founded the "Jin You Wu Yue Tang" and the Jin You Wu Yue Club in Hua Cao, and also threw himself into the inheritance of Chinese martial arts.
5. Yu Continental (played by Wang Cheng)
Peking opera master Yu Zhouzhou made a cameo appearance as the villain Boss Jinyiwei in charge of the minister Wang Cheng, and his stage performance vividly interpreted Wang Cheng's treacherous cunning, making the audience grit their teeth with hatred.
Yu Mainland himself was born into the Liyuan family, and his great-grandfather Yu Jusheng was the founder of the "Yu Sect" Wusheng.
His grandfather Yu Zhenting and father Yu Bulan are also famous actors in Peking Opera.
Yu Continental, who studied under Song Yuchun and Li Wanchun, has a high degree of achievement on the Peking Opera stage and is also a famous figure.
He has played roles such as Lü Dongbin in "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea"; Zhao Yun in "Dragon and Phoenix Chengxiang"; and Wu Song in "Lion Building".
Yu Mainland's participation in "Kapok Robes" that year was also a pure friendship cameo, but it created a classic image.
Mr. Yu died in 1996 at the age of 58.
6. Lin Qiuping (played by Lin Ying)
Lin Qiuping was only in her early 20s when she starred in this film, although she was slightly fat, but her heroic image could still hang the current female stars with red faces.
She is a member of the Wushu team of Fujian Province, has won the women's Taijiquan Championship of the National Wushu Competition 6 times, is known as the "Flower of Taiji", and is one of the "Top Ten" athletes in Fuzhou.
At that time, the selection of actresses did not rely on hype, did not look at the traffic, and paid attention to the achievements, strength and temperament.
Therefore, a female star like Lin Qiuping, although she is a fat girl in the image, has a flexible body, soft stretching, and self-contained, and is firm and confident from the inside out, which is pleasing to the eye.
At that time, people also did not have much pursuit of fame and fortune, and actresses like Lin Qiuping only acted in this movie and disappeared from the screen.
She later emigrated to Wolfburg, Germany, where she founded martial arts halls to spread Chinese martial arts and culture, and her students are now spread all over Germany.
7. Gao Jiamin (as Lin Min) and Wu Qiuhua (as Lin Yi)
Gao Jiamin is also a member of the Fujian Provincial Wushu Team, the only Taijiquan world champion in China, and was called the "Empress Taiji" by Lianhe Zaobao.
In 1994, she was named one of the "Ten Outstanding Youths" in Fujian and the "Top Ten Martial Stars of China".
After participating in this film, she quit the film and television circle, and now she is still active in the martial arts community, contributing to the inheritance of Chinese martial arts.
Wu Qiuhua, also from Fujian, has been named one of the "Top Ten Athletes" in Fujian Province, good at knife skills and southern boxing, and has been awarded the "Sports Third Class Medal" by the National Sports Commission.
Like Gao Jiamin, she only participated in this film, and then disappeared from public view.
"Kapok Robes" gathered a lot of martial arts team masters that year, many of whom just showed their faces in the film, and these opportunities to participate in the acting were very cherished things for them.
Many people are not interested in the show business circle and have chosen a low-key and ordinary life, and we can't help but feel sorry, because it is difficult to find such a good actor now.
Neither this movie nor Mirage has ever appeared on a Blu-ray disc, nor has there been a clearer version.
But to this day, we can still relive it, and we can still savor its wonderful fights and twists and turns, and miss the era when heroes and martial artists were full of spirit.
Text/Pippi Film Editorial Department: Bloody Dan Heart
© Original 丨 Article Copyright: Ppdianying
Please do not reprint in any form without authorization